Taliban take 2 more provincial capitals in relentless push

Kabul: The Taliban have captured another two provincial capitals in southern Afghanistan as they press a lightning offensive that is gradually encircling the government in the capital, Kabul.

The provincial council chief in Zabul province told The Associated Press on Friday that the local capital fell to the Taliban and that officials are in a nearby army camp preparing to leave.

Another Afghan official says the Taliban have captured Lashkar Gah, capital of the southern province of Helmand.

The loss of Helmand”s provincial capital comes after years of toil and blood spilled by American, British and allied NATO forces. Estimates suggest those countries lost some 800 troops over the decades-long war there.

The insurgents have taken more than a dozen provincial capitals in recent days and now control more than two-thirds of the country just weeks before the US plans to withdraw its last troops.

While the nation”s capital, Kabul, isn”t directly under threat yet, the losses and the battles elsewhere further tighten the grip of a resurgent Taliban, who are estimated to now hold over two-thirds of the country and continue to press their offensive.

With security rapidly deteriorating, the United States planned to send in 3,000 troops to help evacuate some personnel from the US Embassy in Kabul. Separately, Britain said about 600 troops would be deployed on a short-term basis to support British nationals leaving the country, and Canada is sending special forces to help evacuate its embassy.

Thousands of Afghans have fled their homes amid fears the Taliban will again impose a brutal, repressive government, all but eliminating women”s rights and conducting public executions.

Peace talks in Qatar remain stalled, though diplomats are still meeting, as the US, European and Asian nations warned that any government established by force would be rejected.